1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a loop pin connecting device that can bundle together socks and the like, and that can be inserted through a product to attach such tags as brand labels, price tags, material descriptions, and instructions for use.
2. Related Art
The Japanese Patent Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 2001-354218 (patent reference 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H8-310520 (patent reference 2) are examples of related art.
In general, various loop pins and loop pin connecting devices have been used in the past for the purpose of bundling together garments, small sundry items, sandals, and shoes or the like, or attaching to such items brand labels and price tags or the like.
The configuration of a specific example of such a loop pin 10 is described below, with reference made to FIG. 7 through FIG. 12.
Specifically, the loop pin 10 shown in FIG. 7 has an flexible filament 12, an insertion head portion 13 having an appropriate mating part 16 provided on one end of the filament 12 and a socket portion 15 provided on another end of the filament 12 and having an insertion hole 14 provided with a pair of blocking blades 17, 17′ therein for irreversibly passing the insertion head portion 13 therethrough, so as to mate the insertion head portion 13 and the socket portion 15 with each other.
Furthermore, this loop pin 10, similar to the above-noted example, is made so that the insertion head portion 13, the socket portion 15, and the filament 12 are integrally formed as one of, for example, of a synthetic resin such as nylon, polypropylene, or polyester or the like.
In the above-noted specific example, as shown in FIG. 8, suppose that an optional commercial good such as, for example, a bag 200 is used, after when the filament 12 is passed through a hole 410 provided beforehand in a label 400, the filament 12 with the socket portion 15 being then passed through a space formed between a handle 300 and the body of the bag 200, finally the insertion head portion 13 being passed through the insertion hole 14 of the socket portion 15, which having a function of holding the label 400,
In order to improve work efficiency, a plurality of loop pins 10 are arranged in-line in a loop pin sheet 600 such as shown, for example, in FIG. 9.
Specifically, the structure of the loop pin sheet 600 is such that the individual loop pins 10 shown in FIG. 9 are provided so as to be mutually parallel and neighboring, and are caused to be connected to the connecting bars 24, 24′ provided individually at or in the region of the plurality of insertion head portions 13 and at or in the vicinity of the plurality of socket portions 15, there further being a mutually linkage between the vicinity of the insertion head portions and the vicinity of the socket portions by means of the connection links 11, 11′.
The above-noted loop pin sheet 600, similar to loop pins of the past, are normally formed as one from, for example, synthetic resins such as nylon, polypropylene, or polyester or the like.
The loop pin sheet 600, as shown in FIG. 10, as indicated in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H8-310520(Patent Reference No. 2), can be mounted in a loop pin connecting device 20 having an internal mechanism, and each time the operation lever 22 of the device is operated, a loop pin 10 is shot out so as to attach a label or the like to a product.
FIG. 10 shows the condition in which the loop pin sheet 600 is mounted into the loop pin connecting device 20.
FIG. 11 is an upper plan view of the loop pin connecting device 20, in which are formed vertical grooves 40, 41 into which the connecting bars 24, 24′ of the loop pin sheet 600 are inserted at the left and right of the loop pin connecting device 20.
The connecting bar 24′ linking the socket portions 15 of the loop pins of the loop pin sheet 600 is inserted into the vertical groove 40, and the connecting bar 24 linking the insertion head portions 13 thereof is inserted into the vertical groove 41. The loop pin connecting device 20 is provided with an out-pushing pin 42 at a position in the vicinity of the vertical groove 41 and which is driven by operation of the operation lever 22, so as to cause separation of the insertion head portion 13 from the connection link 11 of the connecting bar 24, thereby pushing out the same forward along the hollow tubular pin 21 one at a time.
The socket portion 15 is pushed outward along the guide member 43 by an appropriate out-pushing means formed as a curved hollow guide member, for example, by an out-pushing means 25 that is an out-pushing pin or a gear-rack combination, so that it mates with the insertion head portion 13 that is pushed outward by an out-pushing pin via a hollow guide 21 formed by a hollow pin at the front portion of the device.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the condition of a loop pin connecting device 20 immediately before an operation whereby the loop pin connecting device 20 is used to attach a label or the like to a prescribed product is executed.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, after the hole 410 of the label 400 is mated with the hollow pin 21 of the loop pin connecting device 20, the lever 22 is operated so as to hold the filament 12 to a product 200.
When performing the operating of joining the loop pin as shown the above-noted FIG. 12, in the case in which the amount of protrusion of the hollow pin 21 from the surface 26 of the loop pin connecting device 20 is made long, because the curved guide member 43 that guides the socket portion 15 in the loop pin connecting device 20 is provided in opposition to the hollow pin 21, the spacing therebetween becomes short, making it difficult to cause the curved guide member 43 to hook at or to insert into a required position on the product, thereby not only imposing an operational limitation, but also representing the cause of a lowering of work efficiency.
In the case in which the protrusion length of the hollow pin 21 from the surface 26 of the loop pin connecting device 20 is made short, not only is holding the label made difficult, but also it becomes difficult to pass the tip of the hollow pin through the small hole or small opening for the purpose of passing the loop pin, thereby greatly lowering the work efficiency.
Another example of related art used in the past is a loop pin connecting device having an internal structure as shown in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 2001-354218 (patent reference 1). The internal loop pin out-pushing mechanism of this loop pin connecting device is a simplification of the above-described loop pin connecting device of the past, but is the same as the above-described art in that the insertion head portion 13 and the socket portion 15 are fed forward and are mutually mated at an appropriate position at the front of the loop pin connecting device.
In the above-described loop pin connecting devices of the past, however, the loop pin out-pushing mechanism is one in whereby, for example, in response to operation of an operation lever by an operator pushes out each individual loop pin forward so that there is mutual mating between the insertion head portion and the socket portion in front of the loop pin connecting device, and if the operator is not accustomed to operating the loop pin connecting device, because of the complexity of the out-pushing mechanism of the loop pin connecting device, because of potential looseness in the above-noted device and because of the chance that, although the operator had thought that the operation lever was pulled sufficiently, however, actually it did not result in the insertion head portion being completely fed out to the target standard mating position, but rather stopped at a point immediately before the actual mating position, there are many cases in which the insertion head portion 13 and the socket portion 15 are seemed to be mated but there is not a complete mating, and cases in which there is either no mating or insufficient mating.
The above-noted conditions are thought to be caused by the problem of the operator not pulling the operation lever back fully up to its final position, but rather hesitating somewhat and releasing pressure at the final stage.
In a case in which there is an incomplete mating between the loop pin insertion head portion and socket portion as noted above, the operator, mistakenly assuming that there has been complete mating between the insertion head portion and the socket portion, attempts to remove the loop pin from the loop pin connecting device and, as a result, an operation is necessary to remove the loop pin from the loop pin connecting device, this being an operation performed by the operator that is not easy to perform and requires time to perform.
In addition, if the operator realizes that the loop pin mating operation has not been completed properly, the operator will often operated the lever once again with the loop pin remaining in the loop pin connecting device, thereby resulting in the out-pushing of a new loop pin with the previous loop pin remaining in the loop pin connecting device, leading to a jammed condition by contact or interference between the previous loop pin and the new loop pin, thereby requiring a complex and troublesome jam-clearing operation that greatly reduces the operating efficiency.
In a case in which a loop pin is to be used to fix or attach a price tag, label, or instructions for use to a prescribed product by means of the above-noted loop pin connecting devices, it is always necessary to have a characteristic hole, opening, space, or gap in the product for the insertion of the loop pin, and for this reason a fixed extension or protrusion is often formed on the front surface of the loop pin connecting device at or near the part at which the insertion head portion is pushed outward, so that after the extension or protrusion is first passed through the hole, opening, space, or gap, the operation lever of the loop pin connecting device is operated so as to cause mating between the insertion head portion and the socket portion.
In the loop pin connecting devices of the past, because the extension or protrusion length was fixed, in addition to the problem of being able to use the loop pin connecting device with a particular product, in order to be able to accommodate a plurality of types of products, it was necessary to provide beforehand a plurality of loop pin connecting devices having extensions or protrusions of mutually differing lengths, thereby leading to an increase in cost.
Furthermore, in a loop pin connecting device of the past, because the extension or protrusion was made of metal in order to maintain its strength, when the end part of the extension or protrusion came into contact with the hole, opening, space, or gap in the product, there were cases in which the surface of the product was damaged, thereby causing the item to lose its value as a product.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a loop pin connecting device for the purpose of fixing to a prescribed product a loop pin, so as to attach to the product a price tag, specifications regarding the product, or other instructions noting the method of use of the product, wherein the loop pin connecting device is capable of easily and efficiently passing the insertion head portion of the loop pin through a hole, opening, space or the like for the purpose of fixing the loop pin. Another object of the present invention is to provide a loop pin connecting device in which, when shooting in the loop pin, in the case in which the mating between the insertion head portion and the socket portion of the loop pin is insufficient or in which there has not yet been mating, the operator is caused to notice this condition, and by causing the execution of an additional remaining stroke operation, there is an improvement in the work efficiency of the loop pin connecting device and prevention of jamming of the loop pin in the loop pin connecting device.